Traveling exhibits from the African American Museum of Iowa are on display in downtown Washington through June 26th and will be at the Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration.

As Juneteenth is on its way to become a federal holiday, Washington-area families are invited to celebrate the centuries-old commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States at a community event tomorrow.

MUSIC, Inc., Washington for Justice, and Latinos for Washington are hosting a Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration from 3-7:30 p.m. in Washington’s Central Park. The event will begin with children’s activities from 3-5 p.m. including crafts, face painting, and story readings, and will continue with a special presentation from 5-6 p.m. including a reading of the city’s proclamation for Juneteenth by City Council Member Danielle Pettit-Majewski, a vocal performance from Washington High School student Mimi Diaz, and guest speakers Tom Moore and Ture Morrow. Musical entertainment from southeast Iowa blues artist Kevin Burt will follow at 6 p.m.

MUSIC, Inc. President Dan Henderson hopes this will be the first of many Juneteenth celebrations to come in Washington, to educate the public on the holiday’s significance and promote unity, “No one is free until everyone is free and it goes to something Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ So we, right here in Washington, Iowa, need to be involved. We need to think about how we can help heal the racial divide. Everybody knows there’s racial strife, and I believe celebrating along with our Black brothers and sisters this day will go a long way in promoting racial healing.”

This celebration will also have food vendors Mango Jaziel, El Gringo Loco, and Rodney’s Jamaican Jerk and BBQ. The event is also made possible by sponsors Washington State Bank and Malott Law, PLC.